Cleo Laine - 1927-2025

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 17 / 8 / 2025

Nick Dent-Robinson pays tribute to 'First Lady of Jazz' Cleo Laine, who died in July,

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Dame Cleo Laine, acclaimed jazz singer who performed with all the musical greats - from Frank Sinatra to Tony Bennett and Ray Charles – died on Thursday 24 July, aged 97. Long known as ‘The First Lady of Jazz’, Dame Cleo was a leading figure of the British music scene from the early 1960s, alongside her late husband and greatest collaborator, the brilliant saxophonist and band leader, Sir John Dankworth. She was noted for her four octave vocal range and her skill at vocal improvisation. Dame Cleo was also the first singer ever to be nominated for a Grammy in three different categories – jazz, pop and classical – and the first British singer to win a Grammy – for jazz. Her musician children, Jacqui and Alec, said their mother died peacefully, adding, “We will all miss her terribly”. The Stables, a charity and music venue founded by Dame Cleo and Sir John said it was “greatly saddened” by Dame Cleo's death.